Let-off mechanism for narrow-ware looms.



F. BENZ, JR. LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR NARROW WARE LOOMS. APPLICATION FILEDJAN. 11, 1911;

1,001,804, Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

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WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.,WASHIN01'0N. 0. c4

AF. BENZ, JR.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR NARROW WARE LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.11, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

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2/ Frederic k/BenIQ- A 1 g ATTORNEY- COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH cuwAsmnu'wN. n.C.

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FREDERICK BENZ, JR., OF I-IAL-EDON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 JOSEPHFRANK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR NARROW-WARE LOOMS.

Original application filed December 17, 1909, Serial No. 533,641.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK BENZ, Jr., a citizen of the United States,residing at Haledon, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Let-Off Mechanismsfor Narroware Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to looms and particularly to that kind of loomsof the narrow-ware class known as German looms, 2'. 6., looms in whichthe warps are wound on normally fixed spools arranged on skewers; inthis class of looms, since the warp spools do not rotate under normalworking conditions, a loop is maintained in each warp by a weight, theloop affording the slack necessary to permit the take-up to be effectedas the weaving proceeds. Heretofore, the supporting means for the warpsupply spools has been arranged to project from the back of the loomwhich gave rise to certain objections which are set forth in myapplication for Letters Patent of the United States bearing-the SerialNumber 538,641 (of which this application is a division,) wherein a loomis described and claimed in which two weaving machines, forming units ofa single structure, are placed'back to back joined by an overheadstructure which supports the warp supply spools and the means forcontrolling the letting-off of the warps,

One of the features of advantage of the loom referred to in myapplication mentioned consists in such an arrangement of the partsactive in guiding the warps that the latter all lie in substantially asingle vertical plane at the back of each loom unit.

My present invention consists in a means for controlling the letting-offof the warps having certain novel and advantageous features in and ofitself, although the said means has been devised with particular regardto its use in connection with the loom of the application above referredto with a view to forward the advantages referred to in saidapplication.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of asuperstructure of a loom constructed in accordance Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911. Divided and this application filed JanuarySerial No. 601,946.

with that shown and described in my application above referred to,illustrating the improved warp controlling means; Fig. 2 is afragmentary plan view of what is shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is afragmentary view in side elevation of what is shown in Fig. 1; and, Fig.a illustrates a detail.

The superstructure a surmounts the back portions of two looms placedback to back as set forth in my said application, and comprises two ormore upright frames 6 connected by suitable rods 0, the sides of thesaid frames converging upwardly as shown and having the beams cZ restingagainst them and also connecting and bracing the frames. To each ofthese beams (of which there is an upper and a lower one secured to eachside of the superstructure, although only one is shown in Fig. 1, at therightthereof) is secured a series of frames 6 provided with skewers f onwhich are placed the warp supply spools or the like g, each having asits base a peripherally grooved head it. The frames 6 are preferablydisposed at an incline (viewed from the right or left in Fig. 1), as inFig. 3, each series of spools being consequently similarly inclined.Each frame has a series of lugs 71 formed along one side thereof, and tothese are attached the ends of brake devices j in the form of cords,straps or the like, which pass around the grooved heads h of the spoolsand have attached to them the flexible connections 70, each suchconnection extending clear of the several spools owing to the incline ofthe latter (Fig. 3).

A plurality of brackets Z are arranged on the rods 0 in parallelarrangement, the same having bearings m which fit over the rods and havebolted to them clips at coacting with the bearings to secure thebrackets adjustably on the rods. At each end each bracket has anupwardly extending arm 0 carrying a rod 79 on which is journaled aroller or other bearing device 9 over which the warp threads A pass fromthe spools g. Each arm 0 also supports a fulcrum rod 1" for a set oflevers 8, each lever being fulcrumed between its ends on the rod and theinner arms of said levers in each set being preferably of differentlengths. The flexible connections 7: are connected to the outer ends ofthese levers. In the inner end of each lever is journaled a roller orother bearing device 2? over which a warp thread passes on leaving theroller q. On other rods 10 are journaled other rollers or bearingdevices 12, the latter being arranged to alternate with the bearingdevices t. One of the warp threads from one of the spools on the frame 6in Fig. 1, after passing roller 9, extends around the right-hand roller25 and then over the right-hand roller 12; another warp thread, afterpassing the roller g,extends around the intermediate roller 25, and thenover the intermediate and righthand rollers 01; the third warp thread,after passing the roller (1, extends around the lefthand roller 16 andthen over all three rollers e. The three warps, after passing therighthand roller 0 are then led approximately straight downwardly,Fig. 1. This arrangement, wherein the upwardly extending and downwardlyextending portions of the warp threads stand relatively close togetherwhereas their remaining portions form angles in effectoverlying thesuperstructure, not only involves a compact and spacesaving dispositionof the guiding devices q, zand o with relation to the remainder of theloom, but makes it possible, as will now appear, to utilize meanswhereby the warps are automatically let off in a perfectly uniform andregular manner.

Each lever s has at its inner end a downwardly extending foot 41?.Suspended in the portion of each warp thread between the roller 25 andthe next adjoining right-hand roller 4; is a roller y. This roller isjournaled in a hook-shaped bracket 2 (Fig. 4) supporting in itsdepending foot 2 a weight carrier 3; the portion of each thread betweenthe rollers 25 and 4) last referred to is therefore held by the roller vin the form of a loop. The foot 00 of each lever s and the upper end ofthe corresponding bracket 2 are bent oif laterally as shown in Fig. 4:,so that when the latter rises and engages the former a good contact willbe insured. Thus, as the weaving proceeds, the slack formed by the loopin each warp thread will be gradually taken up. Finally the slackbecomes so reduced that, the weight rising, bracket 7 engages the footof lever s and rocks the lever, thus relieving the braking action of thebrake so that the weight falls and forms slack anew before the brakingaction can be reestablished. The sensitiveness of the action of thelevers to cause the release of the spools when the levers are shifted bythe rising bracket 2 may be in creased by connecting each lever with arod 4 carried by thebracket u by a spring 5; this spring has the furtherfunction to reduce the strain on the warp represented by the weight ofthe lever'when the brackety is elevating said lever, in effect balancingthe lever at that time. 7

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination of a supporting structure, rotary warp-supply devicesarranged therein, levers fulcrumed in said structure side by side on acommon fulcrum axis, movable guiding rollers carried by the sev erallevers at dilferent distances from the fulcrum axis, fixed guidingrollers journaled in said structure in vertical planes coinciding withthose of the movable rollers respectively and each nearer to saidfulcrum axis than the respective movable rollers, the threads beingadapted to extend each from a supply device over one of the movable andthen over one of the fixed rollers, other rollers each suspended in theportion of a thread between each movable and fixed roller andmaintaining a loop therein, weight-carrying brackets each afiording ajournal for one of the last-named rollers and movable upwardly intoactuating engagement with the corresponding lever, and brakingmeansoperatively connecting each lever with a supply-device, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a loom, the combination of a supporting structure, a rotatablewarp-supply device arranged therein, three warp-guiding devices arrangedall higher than the supply device and in three vertical planes, those inthe vertical planes nearest and next nearest to the supply device beingrespectively arranged higher and lower than the other guiding device, alever projecting horizontally between the firstand secondnamed guidingdevices and having its fulcrum in a vertical plane between thethirdnamed guiding device and the supply device and carrying saidthird-named guiding device on one arm thereof, a flexible brake deviceengaging the supply device and having one end attached to the other armof the lever, the warp being adapted to extend over the first-, thirdandsecond-named guiding devices in the order named, and a weight suspendedin the part of the warp between the secondand third-named guidingdevices, substantially as described.

3. In a loom, the combination of a sup porting structure, a rotatablewarp-supply device arranged therein, warp-guiding devices over which thewarp is adapted to extend after leaving the warp-supply device, aweight-carrying bracket adapted to be suspended in the portion of thewarp between said guiding devices, a substantially horizontal levercarrying one of said guiding devices on one arm thereof and fulcrurnedin said structure, a flexible brake device engaging the supply deviceand having one end thereof attached to the other arm of the lever, theWeight-carrying bracket being movable upwardly into c0ntact With andadapted to tilt the lever, and a spring connecting the lever and saidstructure and tending to tilt the lever in the same In testimony whereofI afiix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

FREDERICK BENZ, JR.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. STEWARD, WM. D. BELL.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C.

